Virgin GameWorld
Virgin GameWorld is a chain of arcades launched in 1997 by the Virgin Group. The logo is the same as the Virgin Interactive logo, but with "GameWorld" replacing "INTERactive". There are currently 170 locations - 115 in the USA, 6 in the United Arab Emirates, 6 in Saudi Arabia, 3 in Kuwait, 6 each in North and South Korea, 8 in Japan, and 20 in the UK. Most locations are standalone locations, but some locations are in malls. Also, all locations in New Jersey only have video games, and the signage for locations in New Jersey say "VIDEO ARCADE" instead of just "ARCADE". Some locations also have a Panda Express, an Auntie Anne's, a Cinnabon, a Dunkin' Donuts, a Great American Cookies, a Krispy Kreme, a Mrs. Fields, a Tim Hortons, a Jamba Juice, an Orange Julius, a Starbucks, a Baskin-Robbins, a Cold Stone Creamery, a Dairy Queen, a Dippin' Dots, a Häagen-Dazs, a Menchie's, a Red Mango, a Rita's, a TCBY, an A&W, a Frisch's Big Boy, a Burger King, a Hardee's/Carl's Jr., a Rally's/Checkers, a Five Guys, an In-N-Out, a Jack in the Box, a Johnny Rockets, a Krystal, a McDonald's, a Wendy's, a White Castle, a Nathan's Famous, a Chipotle, a Green Burrito/Red Burrito, a Taco Bell, a Taco del Mar, a Taco John's, a Fazoli's, a Sbarro, a Skyline Chili, a Zippy's (sometimes with a Napoleon's Bakery), an Arby's, a Blimpie, a Charleys Philly Steaks, a D'Angelo, a Firehouse Subs, a Jersey Mike's, a Jimmy John's, a Penn Station Subs, a Quiznos, a Rax, a Schlotzsky's, a Subway, a Long John Silver's, a Little Caesar's Pizza Station, a Pizza Hut Express, a Godfather's Pizza, a Church's Chicken, a Jollibee, a KFC, a Popeyes, a Buffalo Wild Wings, a Chick-fil-A, a Roy Rogers, or a combination of some of them. The advertisements were done by Don Bluth, using crazy shapes as well as only using red and dark red colors. The Band of Fighters In 2001, an animatronic band was added to all locations, The Band of Fighters (BOF for short, featuring characters from SNK's series the King of Fighters). One of these bands was taken from the defunct Neo Geo World Tsukuba. The stage has curtains that close when performances are over and open when performances begin. The members of the band are: Kyo Kusanagi (guitarist) Iori Yagami (bassist) Terry Bogard (percussion) Nakoruru (keyboardist) Athena Asamiya (vocals) The band members generally solve their problems by singing songs and dancing. BOF's main song is "The Song of Fighters II". Sometimes, new members of the band are added, known as "guest stars". Merchandise such as mugs and key holders were released. 5 CD radio dramas were also released by Virgin Records: Neo Geo DJ Station, Neo Geo DJ Station Special, Neo Geo DJ Station Live, Neo Geo DJ Station 2 ~ BOF Returns, and Neo Geo DJ Station Live 2. These CDs were initially only meant to be used as prizes in the arcades, but eventually they got so popular that they were released to stores. Mini plush of the BOF characters were also placed in claw machines. In 2010, the stage got a makeover, with light-up panels that react when people touch them and also change colors to the beat and feeling of the song. 3 large TVs (1 large TV in smaller locations) were also added, displaying programs from kid's TV channels like Boomerang, Cartoon Network, The Hub (now Discovery Family), Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., NickMusic, Nicktoons, Qubo, and Universal Kids, and also displaying live footage during performances from 3 different cameras (1 camera in smaller locations). List of Games (not all games are in all locations) Category:Family Entertainment Center Chains